What’s It Gonna Take?: Day Three
Day 3: The Savior You Did Not Know You Had
Devotional
Most of us would never say out loud that we have a Savior other than Jesus. But if you look closely at what actually drives your daily decisions, you might be surprised. For some people, approval functions as a Savior. If others think well of them, they feel okay. For others, it is control. As long as things go according to plan, they feel safe. For others still, it is comfort. When life feels manageable, anxiety stays quiet. These things are not always bad in themselves. But when they become the thing you are really trusting to make life work, they have taken a seat that belongs only to Jesus. And here is the hard truth: whatever that functional Savior is, it will never forgive you when you fall short. It is a merciless master. Jesus is not like that. He is the Savior who already knows every way you have failed and still laid down His life for you. He does not demand that you earn His acceptance. He offers it freely. When you see Jesus clearly, those other things begin to lose their grip. You do not have to white-knuckle your way free from them. You simply look to Him, and they get smaller. That is not willpower. That is worship.
to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God,
that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.
- Acts 26:18
Reflection Question
What is the one thing in your life that, when it goes wrong, has the most power to shake your sense of peace or worth, and what does that reveal about what you might be trusting more than Jesus?
"You get stuck when you say that Christ is your Savior.
But in reality there's something else that's operating as your functional Savior in day-to-day life.
Something like approval or control or validation or comfort." - Pastor Mike Mura
Prayer
Jesus, expose the things I have been trusting in place of You. I confess that I have looked to approval, comfort, and control to do what only You can do. Reclaim Your rightful place as my only Savior today.